169 
No. 182. 
Ceratopetalum gummiferum, Sm. 
The Christmas Tree or Bush. 
(Family CUNONIACE^E,) 
Botanical description. —Genus, Ceratopetalum. (See Part VI, p. 127.) 
Botanical description. —Species, C. gummiferum , Sm., Bot. Nov. Roll., t. 3. 
A tree attaining 30 to 40 feet. 
Leaflets 3, lanceolate, in some specimens all under 1|- inch long, in others mostly twice that size, 
obtuse or obtusely acuminate, obtusely serrulate, narrowed at the base, coriaceous, shining, 
penniveined and strongly reticulate. 
Cymes or panicles loosely trichotoiuous, the common peduncle shorter or longer than the leaves. 
Calyx-lobes in flower scarcely above 1 line long, in fruit linear-oblong, fully £ inch long. 
Petals rather shorter than the calyx, deeply cut into 3 to 5 very narrow lobes. 
Stamens as long as the calyx. 
Fruit without the wings above 1^ lines diameter, the adnate calyx-tube strongly ribbed. (B.F1. 
ii, 442.) 
Botanical Name. — Ceratopetalum, already explained (see Part VI, p. 127) ; 
gummiferum, Latin, gum-bearing. See “ Exudation ” below. 
This, Mr. White informs us, is one of the trees, for there are several, it seems, besides the 
Eucalyptus resinifera (mentioned in his Voyage, p. 231) which produce the red gum, i.e., the astringent 
kino which was early sent to England for medicinal purposes, having previously been tested by Surgeon- 
General White and the doctors here. (Smith, original description, p. 10.) 
The Family Cunoniaceae. 
Ceratopetalum is found in the “Flora Australiensis ” under Saxifragaceae. 
The Cunoniaceae are united in all British systems with the Saxifragaceae, but are 
kept as a distinct Family in Engler’s “Natiirliche Pflanzenfamilien.” They are 
distinguished chiefly in habit from the true Saxifragaceae ; they always have opposite 
or whorled leaves, with often very conspicuous stipules, and are always trees or 
shrubs, while the latter have alternate or radical leaves without stipules, and are 
mostly herbaceous, though the whole tribe of Escalloniae consists of shrubs or small 
trees. 
Bentham and Hooker’s system in the “ Genera Plantarum” is “Natural” 
only in the main groups—and not even that; the position of the Gymnospernue is 
quite unnatural—the grouping of the families into Polypctaleie, Monopctaleae, and 
Monochlamydece is almost as artificial as Linne’s system, based on the stamens. 
